A suture passer is a device used by a clinician to pass sutures through soft tissue. For example, the suture passer may be capable of capturing a suture and either pushing or pulling the suture through the soft tissue. Suture passers may be used in a variety of procedures, including a ventral hernia repair. Ventral hernia repairs typically involve the placement of a soft tissue repair prosthetic across an abdominal wall defect. During a minimally invasive procedure, such as a laparoscopic procedure, the prosthetic may be delivered into the abdominal cavity and positioned over the abdominal wall defect. Sutures may be applied through the prosthetic and all or a portion of the abdominal wall to secure positioning of the prosthetic. A suture passer may be used to pass one or more of the sutures through the skin, fascia, and muscle of the abdominal wall during attachment of the prosthetic.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,439,467 to Benderev et al. teaches a suture passer having an elongate probe axially movably disposed within a tubular probe guide between a retracted position and an extended position in which a sharpened distal tip of the elongate probe is exposed. The elongate probe has a recess, which cooperates with an opening through the tubular probe guide for receiving a suture. The suture passer taught by benderev et al., and other available suture passers, may suffer from drawbacks, including difficulty passing the suture passer smoothly and efficiently through the abdominal wall. For this reason, and others, there is a continuing need for improved suture passer devices.
The present disclosure is directed toward one or more of the problems or issues set forth above.